Re:Could The Ebola Outbreak Spread To Europe Or The U.S.?
by Fomite on Friday July 04, 2014 @06:38PM
(#7990435)
It's hard to select against a cultural practice, generally, as there aren't large numbers of possible phenotypes in the area, and it only matters if that cultural practice results in less children. Dying isn't selected against on its own.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Could The Ebola Outbreak Spread To Europe Or The U.S.?
by sliverstorm on Sunday July 06, 2014 @01:30PM
(#7995059)
It weakens the community. I was thinking of selection on a community (or higher) level, e.g. a community that has different practices will be stronger and either outlast or conquer the community with dangerous traditions.
Re:Could The Ebola Outbreak Spread To Europe Or The U.S.?
by Fomite on Sunday July 06, 2014 @06:46PM
(#7996171)
It takes catastrophic levels of disease (think: Smallpox introduction into the entirely susceptible North and South American populations) to sufficiently weaken a culture to the point of conquerability.
Consider the number of European nations in the middle ages fully capable of going to war with high endemic disease levels, or indeed lasting on the field while there were ongoing epidemics in their armies.